The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-31
HicH-HANpED OUTRAGE.
Oscar BalIou Poisoned and Robbed.
a Possibility That He May Not Re-
cover.

Yesterday morning man driving in town
from Scarboro, when about three-Quarters of
amile the other side of the Cavalry Gene
terry, uear what is known as 'Skunk's Hill"
discovered a man lying by the roadside. He
went to him and found him breathing but
unconscious. He summoned Mr.. Libby, of
Libby Bros. & Pratt, the Ice dealers, and two
other men, who live near, and the four con
veyed the stranger to a little cooper shop
near the top of the hill. The man who
found the stranger Immediately drove to the
city and notified Constable Howard Hall
saying that the man was just breathing but
would probably be dead before he could get
there. Mr. Hall notified Coroner Gould, and
the two drove to the spot at once When
they reached the cooper's shop they found
that the man was alive but suffering terribly.
DIR. Meserye had arrived about the same
time. The stranger was continually suffer
ing from spasms which DIR. Meserye said
were evidently the result of poisoning. He
gave the man some medicine but it was with
the greatest difficulty he could swallow it,
and this the doctor said was a sure indica-
ton of poison. During his intervals of con-
seriousness the man told the following story.
He said his name was Oscar Ballou, that he
was SO years old, and born in Cleveland
Ohio His brother, Luke Ballou. resides
near that city He left Worcester, Mass,
where he has been employed, to 60 to work
in the mills at Biddeford, and arrived here
in Portland, Saturday afternoon. He had
intended to take the afternoon train for
Biddeford, but lost it, and concluded to wait
for the 2 a. IN. train, Sunday. He is Meth
odlst and he thought he would go to a Meth
odist prayer meeting in the evening. He
went to a restaurant for his supper, but
could not tell where it was located. He had
made the acquaintance of nice appearing
young man who wore blue shirt. and they
took tea together. Then they started fol
the prayer meeting. The young man left
him at the church 1t was half past seven
when the meeting began and half past nine
when it was over.
After the meeting he said he started to
walk. He didn't say whether with the in
tention EFF going to Biddeford, or of going to
the depot to wait for the train He had for
gotten everything except that he remembered
coming to, and finding himself sitting in A
doorway. Then he got up to walk, and re-
members receiving a heavy blow on the
shoulder, and that is all until he came to in
the cooper's shop. He said he had an over
coat, Waltham watch, $24 in money, a
pocket Bible, his mothers picture, comb
and two biaded pocket knife in his pock-
cts when he went to church and
THESE were all gone. He declared he never
drank liquor in his life or used tobacco. and
he hoped that Christ would follow the
mans footsteps that poisoned him to the
end"
Late In the afternoon Ballou had appar-
entity much improved and DR.. Meserye
thought that he would recover. He had evil
IDENTIFY been given strychnine he could al
SO remember more about the affair. He said
he arrived here on the Boston and Maine
Train, and that he bought handkerchief at
store near the postofice. The restaurant
where he took supper was located near the
railroad station; that he thinks it was the
I. M. G. A. Hall where he attended the
prayer meeting, but Of that is not quite sure.
IL was probably the Gospel Mission. He
describes his walk after he left the PRAYER
meeting and it was in the direction of the
Boston boat. He further says he was set
upon by two men in locality whose descrip-
ton is that of Stafford Block, who seized
him by the shoulders, which accounts for his
thinking he received blow there, and
poured some stuff down his throat. Then
ne remembers nothing more until he found
himself in the doorway